galactic_cruciblesfandomcom-20200215-history
Zvezilva IV
Zvezilva IV is a desert planet and the home of the Kr'aszazz. Millions of years ago, a comet struck one of its moons creating a brilliant ring system and causing a mass extinction event. A similar comet strike billions of years ago shrunk the planet's mantle, thus resulting in an iron core that is proportionally large to the planet. Atmosphere Zvezilva IV has a light atmosphere as most of the planet's oxygen has oxidized into the soil, turning much of the landscape to rust. In Zvezilva's past, the thicker atmosphere allowed for some massive flying creatures, but today, no creature larger than insect analogues are capable of flight. The extreme temperature differences create dangerous dust storms as well as winds that can reach up to 30 miles per hour. In several million years, the oxygen levels will drop too low for any flames to be produced. This will have a severe impact on the wildlife and cause yet another mass extinction. Geography With the light atmospheric pressure, temperatures are highly variable creating many diverse, yet dry biomes. The axial tilt also results in extreme seasons. Zvezilva IV has an equatorial desert as well as large ice caps. The planet has only 5% surface water, and is on the verge of becoming a Martian oxide desert. Most of the planet's water has seeped underground, carving out massive underground oceans. Glaciers have also carved out large portions of the landscape creating canyons and other rocky land formations. Among the prominent features of the planet is a mountain 40 kilometers high. With an unusually large iron core, the planet gives off a strong magnetic field, allowing it to retain its atmosphere. Many magnetic materials can also be found on the surface. Ecosystem The relatively recent mass extinction left behind only the toughest and smartest of beings, such as the Kr'aszazz. As a means of defense from the UV radiation, animals and plants naturally evolved reflective plates. As the regular dust storms make it considerably disadvantageous for navigation via eyesight, most animals on Zvezilva IV navigate with sonar. They see into the ultraviolet spectrum to detect changes in brightness. Many animals on Zvezilva IV are descended from larger flying animals. Vestigial wings are a common occurrence as a result. Other creatures have bladders within their systems that contain hydrogen, allowing them to expel flames. Cities Much of Zvezilva IV's more stable regions are covered in industrialized urban centers. Air pollution is a persistent problem as much of the sky in these regions is covered in smog. Water is extracted by way of wells from vast oceans four to five kilometers below the crust. Most buildings on the planet have staircases without stairs, due to the innate ability of the Kr'aszazz to scale metal surfaces with their magnetic limbs, and the near-total lack of an Eteno population on the planet due to its arid atmosphere and harsh dust storms. As a curious result of the production of greenhouse gases by uncontrolled industry, the planet's total remaining life span has slightly increased by a small percentage as it assisted the planet in retaining its thin atmosphere. This phenomenon is largely unintentional terraforming, making the planet slightly more habitable than before the Kr'aszazz built their cities with Eteno assistance. Category:Planets Category:Articles by User:Krayfish Category:Desert worlds